Many disabled people require the use of a crutch for walking. Most crutches include a footpiece having a crutch tip at one end and upwardly diverging bows at the other end with an armpiece and a handpiece extending across the bows. The armpiece is inserted beneath the user's arm near the armpit, and the user leans on the crutch as he or she walks.
It has been found that, even if the armpiece includes a pad, extended use of the crutch can be quite irritating, and even painful, to the user. This is especially the case where the person will make extended use of the crutch, such as if the person has cerebral palsy or the like, and if the person is a child who may not be strong enough to support themself on the handpieces of the crutch.
Accordingly, the art has included crutches which are designed to alleviate such discomfort. See, for example, the crutches disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,197,279, 2,861,582 and 3,213,896.
While such crutches do achieve the result of relieving discomfort by moving the armpiece, there are still drawbacks. Principal among such drawbacks is the lack of versatility associated with such crutches. For instance, there may be times when it is desired to have the armpiece located beneath the user's armpit instead of around the user's forearm. In such a case, crutches such as are disclosed in the just-mentioned patents are not useable.
Accordingly, there is a need for a crutch which is versatile and is adaptable to a variety of uses and which can be used either in a forearm-contacting manner or in an armpit-contacting manner.